"Devoted Parent": Devotions from Christian Teachers to Parents

About five years ago, the decision was made to increase the writing required in all classes at Summit Christian Academy. With a core value of igniting leadership, we thought, “What if our faculty led in this?” We could have each one of them write a devotion, put them all together...

How do Christian schools flourish? What elements of school culture contribute to flourishing, and do some elements matter more than others? Does flourishing look different across different schools—rather than a one-size-fits-all definition? Is there a roadmap to school flourishing that is backed by empirical research in Christian schools?

Teacher induction is perhaps one of the most significant school functions we perform, done at arguably one of the busiest times in the annual life cycle of a school. Whether it is a first-year teacher or a veteran teacher who is beginning work at your school, a solid, systematic induction process is important.

What if efforts to solve disengagement in schools has taken us down the wrong path? A lot of today’s material focuses on student engagement. If you Google “student disengagement,” you receive nearly 1.8 million hits. But, if you Google “teacher disengagement,” you receive one-third the responses. Are we putting the cart before the horse?

The “flexible office” concept is an innovative approach to designing spaces for the school leadership team. However, this approach isn’t really about the space—but more about creating a collaborative culture, building relationships, and modeling a Christ-centered community for teachers, students, and families.
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The benefits of diversity are endless. Secular studies show diversity helps learning and problem-solving in the classroom and workplace. Colleges are more and more vocal about their desire to enroll students who are culturally intelligent. Our country is becoming more diverse—to the point that schools need to better understand diversity as part of their overall marketing, admissions, and business plans. But most importantly, diversity helps schools learn more about our amazing God, as we teach our students to affect the world for Him. God made diversity, and He made it for our good.

[Editor’s Note: This post is excerpted from PIVOT: New Directions for Christian Education, a recent book on challenges, trends, and insights on the future of Christian schools.]
Assuming we recognize the need for technology in our schools, we must start thinking about a “philosophy of technology.” Knowing what questions to ask when implementing a technology program in our schools is crucial. The way we choose to engage with technology in our schools might differ from how our neighbor chooses to do so—and that’s ok! Each school has its own unique needs and challenges to take into consideration.